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Friday newspaper round-up: Argentina, Gaza, Shell...

Argentina's government was in a defiant mood on Thursday after defaulting on its debt for the second time in 13 years. Economy minister Axel Kicillof, speaking after 11th hour talks with bondholders in New York failed to avert a default, played down the impact it would have on the country's citizens. "We're not going to sign an agreement that jeopardises the future of all Argentinians," he told a press conference in New York. "Argentinians can remain calm because tomorrow will just be another day and the world will keep on spinning." - The Guardian

Hamas and Israel have this morning begun a tense 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire after The White House described the Israeli shelling of a UN school which killed 15 people as "totally unacceptable and totally indefensible". A spokesman said there appeared to be little doubt "whose artillery was involved". The school in northern Gaza was sheltering civilians who had been told to leave their homes by the Israeli army. - The Independent

Shell has mothballed a multibillion-dollar shale gas joint venture in eastern Ukraine amid the escalating conflict with Russia. The Anglo-Dutch oil group said that the project, to drill for shale gas in almost 8,000 sq km near the site of the downed Malaysian airliner, was on hold. Analysts had expected the company to invest up to $10 billion after signing an agreement with the Ukrainian government in September in what would have been one of the largest foreign investments in the country. - The Times

The owner of British Gas has attacked the energy industry regulator for making "false" accusations of profiteering in an escalating rift over the size of household bills for electricity and gas. Centrica yesterday revealed a 40 per cent slump in half-year profits, partly due to mild winter weather, and insisted that its profits for the year would be less than half the £106-per-home cited as an industry average by Ofgem this week. - The Times

The shooting down of a Malaysia Airlines jet over Ukraine highlights how businesses must protect themselves in an increasingly dangerous world, according BAE Systems' chief executive. Ian King, boss of the defence group, said the loss of the aircraft showed how systems originally produced for the military could now be needed by civil companies. [...] Mr King said: "After events that have recently happened to commercial airliners [I can see] a lot more of our technology being used." - The Telegraph

More than 4,000 households in England used the government's Help to Buy loan scheme to buy properties in June, the highest monthly total since the scheme began in 2013. The latest government data indicated more than 4,300 completions during the month, with more than 27,100 homes bought using the scheme. The figures refer to the first phase of Help to Buy, which offers buyers an interest-free loan worth up to 20% of the price of a new-build home. - The Guardian

Inheritance tax payments are closing in on pre-recession levels after climbing 8.6 per cent in just one year, official figures show. Total payments hit around £3.4billion in the last year as rising house prices saw thousands more middle class families snared by the £325,000 threshold. - The Daily Mail

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